


The Ripples

by TheSkySage



Series: The Butterfly Effect [2]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Gen, Manga Inspired
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-28
Updated: 2020-10-28
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:00:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27246181
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSkySage/pseuds/TheSkySage
Summary: When change is initiated, it affects others. (Connected to The Butterfly Effect)
Series: The Butterfly Effect [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1989349
Comments: 3
Kudos: 5





	The Ripples

Light. Pure, blinding light that burned. Then darkness. Darkness deeper than the night as the light receded with a cry. A shout. A shout of desperation, of pure pain as the platform lowered and wind and force pushed him away. A laugh. A delirious laugh accompanied with steps, with a menacing aura that he found himself in front without thought, with more strength than he knew how to deal with as he growled, snarled, and yelled at the laugh to back off.

Before the silence, the quiet as giddy happiness turned into anger and someone joined through the doors. Before attention shifted and the next match got ready to be put underway.

And he was left to make something of what had happened.

He watched as Honda transported his sister, his frail, broken sister inside. He watched as Mokuba, on order of his brother, went inside himself. He watched as the top of the ship emptied itself save for Ishizu — she'd been right, as always — Malik, Kaiba, and himself.

And he shivered at it. At the fact that no one stuck around, the realization of what it meant, and the feeling, the disgusting feeling that tore at him.

He followed, passed the doors, and found Jonouchi waiting for him with questions. He found himself dismissing the questions with silence, with quiet and ignorance before he was grabbed and forced to answer.

"She fought a battle she couldn't win, Jonouchi. What else do you want me to tell you?"

An answer that did nothing to quell the feelings, the anger, the sadness that raged within him, and left only one thought.

This never should have happened.

She shouldn't have been a contestant. She should never, never have joined Battle City, no matter how much Kaiba insisted on having her there. She shouldn't have agreed, shouldn't have doubled down the moment she realized that whatever answers she'd been looking for just weren't there.

And he should have never pushed her, told her to train when their deadline for doing so was closing.

This never should have happened.

"… Well, maybe what she managed to get from that duel."

"Why would you care?"

"I have a promise to hold."

Not when it meant this.

"Jonouchi!"

"It's Katsuya if you're going to be yelling at me."

"You're not putting yourself in harm's way!"

"How're you gonna stop me? That hers, by the way?"

"Why do you care?!"

"'Cause she told me that she had no intention in leaving you empty-handed because of what was coming and I pay attention when my friends think someone else's in danger. That hers or not?"

Not when it meant people dropping like flies around him.

This… wasn't meant to go this far.

"… Yes. She left it in my possession before going to — to…"

The situation wasn't supposed to become so dire.

"What's in it?"

"Notes. It's how she kept track. I just — Hey!"

"She wasn't there during my duel. What do you think she was doing?"

… So why?

"Knew it. Look at this."

Why did they forge on?

"Jonouchi-"

"Katsuya. And I'm serious. I think she left us everything she had about Malik. Hell, she even put down the fact that I thought he was working with the Thief. Smart girl."

"Jonouchi-"

"Ka-tsu-ya. And no, I'm not changing my mind."

"… Why?"

"… 'Cause I think we're past last names?"

"No. Why do you keep-"

"I told you. I made a promise. And there — there'll be time later to worry. For the moment, Malik needs to be taken care of."

…

"And, by the way, I'd talk to Hiroto. There's some gaps in her notes and she doesn't hit me as the type to do that without a reason."

"Where are you going?"

"Going to get ready to do what I do best. Punch something until it gives."

* * *

The door hissed way too loudly when he made to pass it. The creaks the seat gave as he sat in it were almost deafening. He knew he was being quiet, that he was being respectful towards the staff and patients as Yuugi had taught him, but everything, everything felt too loud, too noisy that he couldn't help but want to leave.

Want to do anything but face the look, the broken and upset look on Honda's face as it met him, however briefly.

Out of anyone, out of all the people they knew, Honda Hiroto was the least deserving of any of this. If Honda Megumi, his sister, was the least deserving of this near murder attempt, her brother, the one who'd watched her drop not once, but twice previous, was the least deserving of watching his sister fall again. They'd gone through enough, they'd been through enough. They didn't deserve any of this.

… And yet…

"… I'm sorry."

Yet… here they were.

Here they were, with Honda watching over his sister with the attitude of a downtrodden man who knew it to be habit, but unable to do anything when it came to the pain. Here they were, with Megumi once again between them, and him… knowing that no guilt would help. That nothing short of Megumi waking up would fix this, would make this even remotely better.

… Somehow, wishing that she pushed herself to wake as she'd done when she'd felt the Eye getting stolen just felt normal.

"… What's worse than this?"

"Huh?"

"You said that if she forfeited, things would get worse. What's worse?"

Because, and he could only guess, everything else felt too unorthodox.

"Considering that it could be as the equivalent of cheating, he could have tortured her. And I — I would have been unable to stop it."

"Why?"

"A Shadow game isn't just a game. It's a contract. One that only ends when the game is done."

"A contract? Why would you make a contract over a game?"

"I don't know. I can… only hope that the way I used them was the way they were used. … And say that she got away easy, if only because I held Malik to his side of the contract."

But, then again…

This wasn't Duelist Kingdom. This wasn't her dying because of her soul tearing apart thanks to a mistake in judgment from a Millennium Item holder. This wasn't her having to decide between two paths, both of them as problematic as the other.

This was her taking on a fight she knew she couldn't win, yet going along with it anyway. This was her deciding that she had to keep going, no matter how desperate the situation looked. And while it was something she'd done previously, it hadn't…

It hadn't been as internally driven as its past version. She hadn't been as outspoken.

"Thank you, then. I wouldn't — I wouldn't have forgiven myself if I'd hurt her worse. That God looked-"

"It is. She held better against Ra than I did against Osiris."

But she'd… she'd always been courageous.

"Wonder what that says about you."

"Probably that it's time I apply what I've been spouting to her for weeks."

And, like her currently chuckling brother, she kept hoping for better. A kind, good trait.

"Speaking of which…"

"Hm?"

"She — She left me with something. A notebook of sorts where she put all of her findings and recollections. She… also left some passages blank, as if hoping someone would fill them. You wouldn't-"

"Mokuba. Although I wouldn't — I don't think it's a good idea to go see him."

But one that, when tied with weakness or tied to hopeless moments…

"Why?"

"I found something on her that — that I think was his. I gave it back and he — he didn't take it well."

… Could mean devastation.

* * *

The quiet hiss of the door opening should not have felt ominous. The fact that lights weren't on, leaving the place dark and foreboding, should not have given him the impression that he was entering the lion's den.

"My brother's duel just finished. Speak up before he gets here."

And the tone, the quiet tone of a usually happy voice should not have made him stop and debate whether or not he had taken the right decision.

… Even when he knew he'd been pushed by the one person he knew Mokuba would never, ever do a thing to.

"Mokuba, I'm-"

"Talk. Apologize later."

Knew for a fact, and he only had to watch the boy for proof.

His eyes glistened while refusing to look anywhere in Yami's direction. He was sitting, dark and imposing like his brother, but his hands were shaking. And the quick look, the one that was glanced in his direction, filled itself with hatred so quickly, he had to wonder if he was safe.

"Well? Talk!"

If Megumi herself knew what she'd done, the impact she'd had on the youngest Kaiba brother.

"Megumi left me with something."

Because he wouldn't look this way if it hadn't been immense.

"What did she leave you with?"

If what she'd done, if what she'd tried for hadn't meant the world to him.

He handed over the notebook and watched the child tear it away from his hands before treating it with such delicacy, it was almost reverence. He held his breath as Mokuba carefully, silently passed the notes from the notebook onto the computer and from the computer onto the notebook. And he kept quiet as the eleven-year-old sat back into his chair, still looking through the notes but no longer seeing them as he eventually closed his eyes, eventually gave up trying to read before shaking his head and speaking again, still quiet, but missing the sharpness.

"Did you read through it?"

"Not yet."

"So you don't know that she was trying to guess at your God, then?"

"… No."

"And that she was trying to guess at Malik's relationship with Ishizu?"

"… What?"

He smiled, face lacking all humor, "She… used "similar" as shorthand for two people having a similar feel. Ishizu feels similar to Malik. And, to no one's surprise, Ishizu has a sibling. Three guesses as to who it might be."

And Yami could only blink, "… How-?"

"Ishizu has a passport."

Before shutting up. This… was more Megumi's speed. This was what she did. Had done for well over three months now. She saw the threads, found where they led, and transmitted the information back to him. He'd never dealt with this kind of… gray area. He was just… spoon-fed the information from an incredibly reliable source.

… Which was, in part, provided by Mokuba. Provided by the Kaibas.

"Either way, I don't — I don't think that's why you're up here."

By a source that dealt with information, no matter how shady the methods.

"She… wouldn't have been after something that trivial, not for you. And not — not with what she did."

… This was not the time to question. She'd trusted Mokuba. She'd believed him.

He wouldn't be as heartbroken otherwise.

"This… would have been what she was after."

And definitely not as willing to give up information.

Yami blinked at the screen. At the image, the recreation of the God card, The Winged Sun Dragon of Ra, that stood there with little to hide. With text.

"Now, I'm not her, but from the little I can figure out, it's Egyptian. Can you… read it?"

"… No."

That made no sense to him, even if it felt familiar. Even if, for some reason or another, he'd felt like he'd seen this somewhere. Not the words, but the writing, the way it was written.

But that-

"FUCK!"

?!

He turned around. And watched Kaiba hold his head before uncovering one of his eyes to glare at the text as his brother kept calling out for him, kept asking him what was wrong.

"… I can."

Before the room was driven to silence at the words.

Kaiba could… but he… had Megumi been wrong?

"Medicine."

"On it!"

"Kaiba…"

"Not a damn word out of you."

Or she hadn't been. She hadn't been and she just hadn't made the connection yet. Hadn't wanted to.

… This was not his place. This was hers.

Why did she have to fall?

**Author's Note:**

> Ever had a story so big, it outranges the scope of the main story itself? Me neither. This is the first time, the very first where I honestly think it's necessary to address some things on the side because of the POV, and boy was there a lot to address and cover, just from Yami's perspective alone. Thankfully, this is the only time I have to do this for the Battle City arc, although I know that Millennium World itself is going to be relying on this gimmick more. A lot happens behind the scenes and everyone is holding their own at this point. It's goddamn impressive and I'm proud of the evolution on all the character's parts when it comes to this story.


End file.
